Marine steam-engine



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WM. A. LIG'H'IHALL,` OF ALBANY, NEYV YORK.

MARINE STEAM-ENGINE.

Specification of Letters Patent No. 2,545, dated April 11, 1842.

To all whom i may concern.'

Be it known that I, l/VILLIAM A. LIGHT- iiALIl, of the city of Albany and State of New York, have made certain Improvements in Steam-Engines, and I do hereby declare that the following'is a full and exact description of said improvements.

Figure l represents my improvements in the construction of the frame7 for the support of the different parts of said engine,

when it is required to work a beam or halfbeam.

A, A, represents the solid keelsons upon which is laid and firmly bolted a cast iron foundation, with sockets for the reception of the ends of the columns C, C, C. These columns may be either of wood or cast iron. E, E, is a castiron plate or string piece extending' along the tops and embracing laterally the upper ends of said columns, along both sides of the columns are strong screw bolts 2, 2, 2, passing through the foundation and string piece; and by nutting them up the frame is `firmly bound and held together in that direction. Instead of having screw bolts on either side of the column, one may be made to pass through the center ofthe column as shown in Fig. A.

D, D, representsra diagonal brace extend-W ing' from the head of the column that supports the shaft pillow block L to the foot of the end column, directly below the beam pillow block M. A similar rod or screw bolt (represented by the dotted line) is let in the upper side of this brace, one end of which is shouldef'ed or keyed into the cast iron abutment t and the other end receives a nut after passing through the saddle (i which is cast solid with the string piece. Instead of this one rod or screw bolt there may be two, one on each side of this diagonal brace, as shown in Fig'. A and Fig. C.

F, F, are cast iron angle braces held by the screw bolts 5, 5, giving additional strength to that part of the frame and at.

the same time supporting the pillow block for the half beam. In the boat engine the beam or half beam would be supported on the top or string piece as shown in Fig. C. The two sides or halves of the frame are held together by cast iron arches and bolts, as represented by J, J, in the end view. See also Figs. B, and D. In vessels of less depth of hold, it is only necessary to shorten the pillars or columns, and if the whole bentbeam or yoke is worked instead of the half beam,`then the diagonal brace D, D, should be reversed in position to meet the strain, that is, the lower end of the brace D, D, should rest in the angle at Gr and the upper end D, in the angle at a., at the foot of the column C a. y

Fig. 2 represents my improvements in the arrangement and disposition of the cylinder, steam chests, side pipes, condenser, bed plate and air pump, if it be required to work an air pump and condenser.

A, A, is the cylinder lying' horizontally upon the solid keelsons, sustained and supported in that position by the lugs a, o, o. If thecylinder be of large diameter, or it is necessary to raise it farther from the bottom of the vessel instead of carrying up the keelsons solid to support the same, it may rest upon a wood or cast iron frame `as shown in Fig. A and Fig. C.` B, B, the

steam chests and c the side pipes under the cylinder and connected to its lower side, which can be seen more in detail by referring to Fig. 3 and also Fig. C, L the eX- haust pipe. D, the condenser under the piston rod. L, which works over them; E, the bed plate, F, the air pump worked by` the bellcrank I, J, G the reservoir. See also Fig. C. In vessels of greater depth of hold, the air pump may be worked by an arm from the beam" center and thus dispense with the bell crank. This arrangement brings all the parts above enumerated in line and between the two keelsons, thus occupying the least space and still perfectly accessible and by placing' the side pipes and steam chests below the cylinder obviates all the difliculties and `dangers consequent upon working water in the cylinder; for in this position of the openings, the engine will free herself rapidly and most eifectually.

Fig'. 3 represents more in detail the arrangement of the steam chests and side pipes below the cylinder, together with my improvements in working' the valves for the horizontal cylinder, at full or half stroke, as may be required. See also Fig'. 4.

A represents the main shaft with B, B2, the ordinary eccentric and hook which has a branch hook E1, working' on a center at E. Attached to the same shaft is a heart cam Q, Q; between the eccentric and cam is a cast iron frame or guide which plays upon the shaft in the direction D, D, alternately, in accordance withV the motion communicated to it by the revolution of the heart cam, the edge or periphery of which is constantly in cont-act with the two friction roll- .half solid and passing through the other half, which is hollow. 8, c/ being the solid Y shaft and extending across, has the arm attached to it and the arms 7, 7, attached to S, g, 0,V and 8 T, O, respectively and also connected by a rod at M, passing from 7 to 7, it is evident that the arms 5, 7, 7, will have the saine motion, that is, will move in union with each other the arm 5 being attached to that end of the solid shaft which passes through the hollow shaft. They are intended to work the steam valves and by hooking the rod C3, upon the arm 5, the cam or half stroke motion will be given. In the same inannerthe other halves of the rock shaft and arms S, 6-'8, 6, are connected by a rod at N and the arm 4 being also connected with them, it is evident that if the eccentric rod B2, be hooked on the arm 4, the mot-ion of the eccentric will be given and thus work the valves on the exhaust side. If then it be required to work a full stroke, it is only necessary to unhook 3 (which receives motion from the cam) the half stroke and hook on l, E, the branch fioin the eccentric and we will have the motion of the eccentric on the steam valves and also on the exhaust valves. For this purpose the center or journal in the arm should pass through so that the branch eccentric may hook on one side and the cam hook on the other side of the arm.

A chain represented by the line 1/ passing over the pulley P, should connect the branch eccentric hook and the cam hook, by

position of thelifters L, L, L, L, the feetV O O attached to the solid half of the rock shaft and the feet O, O, attached to the ho-llow portion while the dotted lines represent the'toes attached to each lifter. Instead of working the half stroke or cut oft1 by means of the single frame and friction rollers as before described, the heart cam may be made to play or revolve against steel faces or hardened surfaces, as represented in Fig. A, and Fig. C.

In the foregoing specification, I claim as my improvement in the steam enginel.. The arrangement and disposition of the steam chests, side pipes, condenser, exhaust pipe, bed plate and air pump, in combina tion with the cylinder lying horizontal upon the solid keelsons or frame, said cylinder being in the hold of the vessel, below the deck beams.

2. The inode of working the valves whole and half stroke by the combination of the eccentric wheel, eccentric hook and branch hook, the heart cam and cani hook together with the hollow rock shafts substantially as herein before described, in combination with f the cylinder m the aforesaid horizontal position.

VILLIAM A. LIGHTHALL.

litnesses VVAsH. Q. MoRToN, HiiMiL'roN MoR'roN. 

